GoFlash
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Wonder Twin agreement powers unite!
I'm over in Hawaii, so unless your arms are a lot longer than mine, we're going to need a bigger monkey. To bridge the gap, of course - just couldn't resist the Jaws trope.
Of course, "The Bigger Nosed Monkeys" would be a great name for a band.
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Can we just say that Terry doesn't have a really good nemesis?
You could, but then you'd be realistic and correct. And where's the fun in that?
KW and I seem to be making similar points recently - I think I got something along the lines of "you and your logical arguments" from James, too...
I already made one of my typically long winded arguments agreeing with Knightwing back on page 6. (He is a lot more succint than I am - the Irish are known for never making a long story short, after all).
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Drive home from work let me listen to the last 2 episodes.
In Tabula Rasa, one thing that I noticed that would have slipped by kids is when Mercy is going on about how he gave her control because she'll stay loyal like a dog, but she's done blah blah and of course blah. After he threatens Ivo's location out of her, he says "Good girl" like she was a dog. Gee, and he was surprised she hung up on him.
I've heard complaints that Earth tech (in the form of Amazo) shouldn't be able to replicate a GL ring. Even if it does, how does a robot summon the willpower to use it?
In Only a Dream, I thought the first part had lots of good moments - Flash & J'onn's nap, Volcana and Firefly's banter, GL putting a bubble around two pyros and inviting them to burn their way out, knowing they'll use up the oxygen before they get free, Copperhead trying to convince Grundy not to take the hard way out, the scene with Copperhead and Hawkgirl, J'onn & Superman putting Grundy into orbit. It's just that there isn't a lot of plot underneath it - more just random cool things they wanted to do. I think that's why it seems fun to watch (and is), but it does doesn't seem to measure up to the earlier episodes.
Incidentally, the scene with Hawkgirl and Copperhead also played out in New Warriors #4, in 1990. A villain who was crystalline and controlled bodily functions was holding onto Namorita up in the air. She refused to do what he wanted, so he literally twisted her guts, and she convulsed, throwing him off. He didn't learn how to fly by the time he reached the ground. Flash's speed stopping time (beyond his control) has probably been used several times, but the most recent was in Flash 91, where he used Johnny Quick's speed formula to give him more time to fix something he couldn't easily fix, and couldn't figure out how to slow down (That issue, for Mike and I at least, is also known as "The issue before Impulse shows up")
In GL's dream, most of the writing was gibberish (I looked after I recognized this bit), but there is one sign that reads Humuhumunukuukuapuaa - there's an N missing, but Humuhumunukunukuapua'a is the Hawaiian name for the reef triggerfish, our state fish.
There were a couple more bits that show they're turning Flash into a more balanced character - first, the scene with Hawkgirl at the end of the first part, and then, at the beginning of the second part, he's hanging out entertaining a bunch of kids (prelude to Comfort and Joy). Before the Swedish Bikini Team shows up to keep him company, that is. I also liked the comment on the difficulty someone like Flash has in fighting giants when they call out the part of Doctor Destiny they'll attack:
GL: "I'll take his eyes!"
Superman: "Gut!"
Flash: "Big toe!"
If I seem even more Flash-centric then usual (Really, how would you tell), it's because I just got my copy of Shirley Walker's soundtrack to the Flash TV show. They've released that, BTAS, Mask of The Phantasm (extended version) and the new DCU movies, so I'm still hoping for those STAS and Justice League soundtracks (I have both Batman Beyond and Return Of The Joker from the first time around).
Chris
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To be fair, I think monologuing is also part of the Evil Overlord Handbook.
And hey, having allies help out (like Metron did) is also part of the Superhero Handbook, so maybe it all evens out in the end.
40. I will be neither chivalrous nor sporting. If I have an unstoppable superweapon, I will use it as early and as often as possible instead of keeping it in reserve.
Took him a while, but he passed this one.
6. I will not gloat over my enemies' predicament before killing them.
7. When I've captured my adversary and he says, "Look, before you kill me, will you at least tell me what this is all about?" I'll say, "No." and shoot him. No, on second thought I'll shoot him then say "No."
114. I will never accept a challenge from the hero.
115. I will not engage an enemy single-handedly until all my soldiers are dead.
Yeah, not so much. Fail, fail, fail, and fail.
142. If I have children and subsequently grandchildren, I will keep my three-year-old granddaughter near me at all times. When the hero enters to kill me, I will ask him to first explain to her why it is necessary to kill her beloved grandpa. When the hero launches into an explanation of morality way over her head, that will be her cue to pull the lever and send him into the pit of crocodiles. After all, small children like crocodiles almost as much as Evil Overlords and it's important to spend quality time with the grandkids.
Never actually came up - this is just my favorite.
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Watching more Batman Beyond... and I am trying to think of which of Terry's Rogue's would be his true mortal enemy like the joker is to Bruce. Anyone have any thoughts?
I'd put Inque in the running since Terry never really caught her.
Mad Stan. Anyone else is just a rogue. (Rogue should only be capitalized if it's the Flash's Rogues. They use the name themselves. They're organized. Hey, they have dental! (No 401(k), though). Or, if you're part a a squadron that killed 2 Death Stars.)
I don't think anyone qualifies. I think you need several things.
One, you need to be a threat on multiple levels. Given the realities of superheroes, one should be physical, or at least someone whose abilities are such that it's a real challenge to stop them (like Professor X & the Shadow King - not that I'm suggesting that SK is Prof. X's true mortal enemy). But there also needs to be something grander. A personal connection counts - the Flashes and Zooms (or Inertia, for Bart). Batman and the Joker have some of this - they're definitely obsessed with each other - and Mike, don't try for it. It can also be someone who operates on such a level that letting them win is a disaster. Lex Luthor, Brainiac, and Darkseid all fall into this category. And often, it's both. Darkseid and Brainiac, in the DCAU, both would destroy or conquer Earth and also have that personal connection. While there were some good villains in Batman Beyond, none of them really got to this level. Terry may have been frustrated and scared when Inque got away, but it wasn't as personal - and no offense to Fox's company, but letting her or Catwoman get away isn't exactly on the same level as letting the Joker or Darkseid get away with a plan.
Chris
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A couple goofs I noticed on Twilight - first was that given the continuity with STAS - Forager appeared with the rest of the New Gods in Apokolips Now!, and he clearly doesn't have that status here.
Also, when Batman and Wonder Woman are fighting the worm, she lassos its head. It then knocks her out and stretches its mouth open. There's a clear snap as if a rope breaking. Forager then hits it with the bomb, picks up Wonder Woman, and he and Batman exercise the better part of valor. When she wakes up and stands, the lasso is coiled on her right hip, despite being broken and left behind. Well, it is magic, after all...
I don't think we every see Orion as genuinely happy as in the beginning of this episode. Seriously, look at his smile - that's joy. Nothing like dropping large masses at orbital speed on Father's citadel to feel all warm and fuzzy.
Couple bits of characterization that I liked. First, when Darkseid has just attacked Superman. He tells Brainiac that he upheld his part of the bargain, and that now Brainiac needs to leave Apokolips alone. That's right, Darkseid offering tribute in exchange for peace. Brainiac's a supercomputer and he can't figure out how out of character that is? Even if it wasn't foreordained, you know at that point that Darkseid's going to screw Brainiac over.
The line about "The next time I let Superman be in charge..." is funny, but...didn't Superman have a different plan then what happened? Something along the lines of "Darkseid can bloody well shove off"? Little unfair to blame it on him. I did like the interplay - especially the "You're not always right" line - because that was dead on. Superman was right that this was a plot, and Darkseid did come back (albeit with help). It's not often that someone gets to say that to Batman, and it's nice to hear.
Without debating about whether Superman "won" the fight or not, though, I did want to balance out something Mike said. Yes, Darkseid had already faced Hawkgirl and Orion, which may have meant he wasn't at his freshest. However, Superman got blasted by the combined efforts of Brainiac and Darkseid, then spread-eagled and fried, so I would argue that he's in no better shape - neither of them was at their peak, but I wouldn't say that Superman had an advantage because of that.
Chris
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I'm unsure if fire is Jonn's big weakness in JL is fire. I'm pretty sure his big weakness is Deanna Troyism,
Not to be confused with Donna Troyism, in which you can't form any relationships or remember what your past is supposed to be this week, because you're retconned more often than some people fill up their gas tanks.
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Because they are the trinity? Also, could be, those creators are the only ones smart enough, and at the time to get their names put on every piece of media involving their characters. Well, that's what Bob Kane did.
I believe that's the case - every version of those 3 has to have a creator credit. Wonder Woman's creator (William Moulton Marston) was the first creator to get ownership rights - I believe that his heirs still get some royalties from the character. I've read that there was a reversion of rights clause wherein if DC ever publishes either less than 1 WW issue per month, or less than 4 per year, the rights revert to Marston's airs for not only future, but any past appearances; the fact that I've heard it with several different criteria suggests that this may be an urban legend (Can you imagine how much the rights to Wonder Woman would be worth for everything she's ever been in? I would suspect that if this clause existed and took effect that the heirs would not have a claim to the money made from WW up to that point, but everyone who bought a back issues, collection, DVD, what have you from that day forth would pay the heirs. Also a reason that I doubt the story of that clause is true.)
Chris
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I am PISSED!!!
I just heard a rumor that they were going to use Ra's Al Ghul on Justice League Unlimited but couldn't due to the fucking Bat-Embargo. Supposedly they would give a backstory to the Near Apocolypse 0f '09. And get this (James Deaux is going to shoot himself when he reads this) They were going to adapt Tower of Babel. Yup, TOWER OF FUCKING BABEL!!! It would be a follow up to the Doomsday Sanction where Batman's distrust of the League causes him to construct contingency plans for if they ever went rogue. Ra's Al Ghul was going to get ahold of them and put them into action. Batman would convince Talia to help him save the League and stop Ra's. Batman would leave the League, form the Outsiders, and team up with Cadmus. Bruce Timm has even stated the bat-embargo's restriction was a good thing, as they already did the voting-out thing with Hawkgirl, and they would have to make either Batman or the JLA look like the bad guy. Still, we could have RA'S FUCKING AL GHUL IN JUSTICE LEAGUE, and we didn't. 
At the same time, since they already had one immortal villain who works out crafty plans due to his long experience - wouldn't Ra's have come off as a pale Vandal Savage? Granted, I'm biased, as Vandal Savage has been a foe of 3 of the 4 Flashes, but still....
Chris
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There's times that a large attack with fire injures/stuns him, but there's many instances (like pulling off the lit afterburner) where it doesn't bother him at all. I assumed that they were saying that he could be taken down physically, but is not particularly vulnerable to fire as opposed to other attacks - but still put in a few more fire attacks against him as a homage to the source material.
Chris
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On the other hand
Well, yeah, but...he's the goddamned Batman. (After all, did Bruce Timm ever explicitly say that Batman can't breathe in space? Hmm?)
Mike, I also suspected that Savage's "Another report..." was an allusion to the JSA.
James, I agree - Phil Morris's Savage was a great villain...although I always like the Magnificent Bastard. The Emperor didn't hold a candle to Peter Cushing's Governor Tarkin, in my mind.
Along with the allusions, when J'onn saw Hitler, his one word was "Fascinating" ("An alien who always says 'Fascinating' - naw, that'll never work."). Vandal Savage later gave him an "Indeed." Flash also called the War Wheel driver "Col. Klink."
With the "Hitler was mad, but he knew how to treat his generals", I though that was an interesting allusion as well. Reading about Hitler's early campaigns, you can't help wondering what the other leaders were thinking to let him get away with things. Hitler, though, did rise to power through the established channels - not perfectly honestly, but he did respect the forms. Neville Chamberlain and his contemporaries looked at Hitler as a maniac, but a maniac who did things through the proper forms, the kind of maniac they thought they'd seen before. Stalin, on the other hand, represented the downfall of the old order, and they wanted (in part) Hitler to serve as a buffer, because they were initially more nervous about Stalin.
As to why the time travel was in the Savageverse, well, Savage is a caveman, but he ain't dumb. He knows that he sent the laptop back in time. His message probably included how and when. The Savage that took over the world in 1944 knows that if he doesn't send that laptop when he gets to the modern day, he won't win WWII, so he probably had it circled in red on his day planner. ("Aug. 23. Send laptop back to past self. Execute captured resistance leaders. Massage at 2 PM.") If he doesn't, he runs into the Skynet version of the grandfather paradox. Skynet sends Terminator to kill Sarah Conner. John Conner is never born, and does not lead the human resistance. Skynet therefore has no reason to send back Terminator. John Conner is born, and leads resistance against Skynet. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Looking back, I also think that this was a turning point for Flash. He becomes much more balanced and heroic from here on, as you see him facing down Wonder Woman bent on revenge on Toyman, Superman bent on revenge on Cadmus, reminding Green Arrow of why they're heroes, and just generally stepping up (Not so much the power (although taking down Luthor/Brainiac is one of the single coolest scenes in the DCAU), as the sense of morality behind it).. The scenes with Hawkgirl represented him really stepping outside himself and realizing how important this job is. Think about after that, when he's evacuating the German factory workers. He'd never really looked that serious up to this point, and Superman even acknowledged that Flash was the one who's focused on saving lives, not just destroying the German ability to make war.
Of course, one odd thing that I noticed was that Stewart never said anything to Easy Company about being called 'soldier'. He wasn't a soldier. He was a Marine. The USMC as a group is fairly emphatic about that.
Chris
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If Supes can fly into the sun then he doesn't need to breathe in space. Holding his breath would cause some sort of explosion from his mouth. He doesn't need to breathe in space. The space suit thing really bugs me about JL animated.
If you or I hold our breath in space, it will cause problems (and rupture our eardrums). For Superman, it shouldn't cause a problem. The main issue is oxygen (after all, no one can breathe in space; it's a question of whether you need to breathe). The problem is, this has gone back and forth so much in 70+ years of comics, we can stake out any position and find a comic reference to justify it.
I would argue that he can hold his breath longer than a human, but can't go indefinitely without oxygen (based on the DCAU portrayal). The pressure difference should not bother him in the slightest (by definition, the pressure difference is 1 atmosphere - that's the same as the difference between sea level and 33 feet or so under the water). The space suit may help regulate temperature and give him oxygen - it's not necessary, but it is more comfortable. It also gives him the ability to communicate.
In space, no one can hear you exclaim, "Great Scott!"
Chris
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Mike cracking up at Supes hugging Bats made me LOL.
It's never been established that Superman can breathe in space, unless its Earth-2 Superman. He can just hold his breath for super long amounts of time.
I believe that at other points ("The Return") he is seen with an oxygen mask (that way he could speak and breath, but his heat vision wouldn't punch a hole in his suit). I seem to remember something similar in the late 80's - I think it was one of the "Invasion" minis.
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Oh, yeah - "Red Son" was converted into what I thought was a pretty decent motion comic. It's available in the iTunes store and I'm not sure where else. I think it was 10-12 parts. Came out sometime last year. Voice cast included that guy who was in that thing with that other guy. Need wake-up liquid more.
Chris
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Wow - barely made it through the e-mails on the way to work. Almost hope there's traffic going home so I can finish today.
As to the issue of Superman or J'onn towing the Javelin - never bothered me. Mike, you said that this wasn't something that would affect your score, but in case you want that issue to go away - Flash commented that they at least won the battle. Given that there aren't a lot of battlefields in the solar system, I assumed that this was an interstellar trip. GL is the only one who can cross that sort of distance. Superman may be as fast in normal space, but I don't think he has a hyperdrive shunt in his brain.
The thing I thought weird about that scene is that GL is towing the Javelin. We then flash to the inside, where...Superman has his hands on the control yoke as if he's flying. I had this mental image of him making "bvvmmmmmmm" sounds as he turned the wheel back and forth, pretending he was dogfighting or something, until he realized that Hawkgirl was giving him a Look.
Oh, and I think that Superman and Bugs Bunny was a 4 issue mini. I remember the Flash racing the Roadrunner.
Chris
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I agree with Mike and James on J'onn's temptation issue. Once is fine, but after he knows it's all just an illusion it's annoying that he keeps buying into it. It's also fairly inconsistent characterization for a guy who is generally portrayed as highly intelligent and emotionally detached.
I would argue that part of his emotional detachment may have been due to the loss he's suffered. After all, if we were talking about Batman being emotionally detached, that would be accepted.
I still maintain that the characterization is spot on. One of the problems with many American reviews of the Battle of Oahu (the Pearl Harbor attack) is that the analyses focus largely on what the Americans did wrong - which is sort of egotistical, as if only our actions played a role in the outcome. You also need to consider that the Japanese Navy picked their best people, planned it in exquisite detail, trained heavily, and were very experienced (Interestingly, I understand that many Japanese analyses of the Battle of Midway show the same problem). This isn't a PowerPoint presentation we're talking about. LeFay is in his head, manipulating, playing on his guilt - and she's been doing this for a very long time. I doubt she's relying on logical persuasion alone. I doubt that she's progressed as far as frank mind control, but certainly is influencing his mind above and beyond just the terms of her deal. It's not just abot J'onn - you have to factor in her skill as well. I look at this as a certain degree of characterization for her as well. I believe the TV Trope is "The Worf Effect", where a threat throws around the strongest member of the team to demonstrate how dangerous they are. The creative team used this heavy-handedly with Superman this season - this is a more subtle version of the same.
I think that J'onn's temptation is valid storytelling in concept. I think there's more to it than is first apparent. I think his reaction is true to life.
I also think that that the execution of the concept could have used some work. It definitely dragged at times, and felt like they were dragging it out to fit the episode. I would say that the concept was valid, but the execution should have been tightened up somewhat.
Chris
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Couple little things before the big one.
In Knight of Shadows, not only did I like that Wonder Woman was trying to flirt, I liked that she was really, really bad at it. The only reason it worked was that Hickman was an idiot. Really, why should she be any good at it? I actually look at that as characterization.
At least at times, Wonder Woman has been presented as one of the League's tacticians. They obviously didn't go that way here. You're Wonder Woman. You have Flash and Etrigan with you. Your objectives are: 1) get the Philospher's Stone as far away from LeFay as possible, and 2) fight LeFay and the Shai-Hulud formerly known as Sleaze. Do you:
a) Fly away at about a hundred miles an hour with the stone, leaving Flash and Etrigan to fight.
b) Have the two magically-powered heroes fight the magical foes, and leave getting the Stone away from LeFay to the kid who can be on the other side of the planet in 3 seconds?
That always bugged me. In case you didn't notice.
I've heard (in which canon, I can't remember) Kryptonite described as a stable, transuranic element. The one way I could justify Rex turning into it is if he had come across some research on it. If it's an element, all he'd need to know is the atomic number (the number of protons & electrons) and atomic weight (weight - number equals neutrons). I don't feel really strongly about it, but it is a possible rationale.
OK, the big one. J'onn's temptation. I can see both sides - I thought it was overdone one the first several viewings. On the other hand...first, don't forget. This is not just visions. This is LeFay getting literally inside his head and making an offer - give me the stone, and I'll restore Mars. Keep in mind, she's been manipulating and seducing people into this sort of thing for at least 1500 years (most sources put Arthurian legend around the 5th century). We have to acknowlege her skills at this.
Like I said, I thought his reaction was overdone at first. I think so less know. Between the time it first aired and now, I've had a daughter. It sounds corny, but I really do look at scenes differently now. Things affect me much more strongly, because I can imagine how it would feel if it were my daughter. And I really don't think you can understand that well unless you have kids. J'onn was right - Batman can't understand how it feels. Aside from the fact that all of his friends and culture were also lost, which Bruce Hasn't lived through - Bruce feels survivor guilt because his parents died and he survived. You aren't supposed to have to protect your parents. You are supposed to protect your child. Think how much survivor guilt J'onn feels.
Like I said, I can see both sides. Once I had a daughter of my own, though, it made a huge difference in how accurate it felt. We always bring our own viewpoints to media, but I think that most parents would be much more forgiving of J'onn's position than they were before they had kids.
Chris
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Two more Hawkgirl thoughts -
The line about "What kind of criminals tip off the authorities?" (And on a Sunday!) is great; still, there's always this little voice reminding me, "Ahh, isn't she teammates with Batman? As in, the guy who fights the Riddler? Didn't Joker also make a couple broadcasts about how he was going to do some dastardly deed?"
Also, as to Mike's comment about how everyone had a role, and Hawkgirl demonstrated both her own personality as well as serving (no pun intended) as a foil for the Golden Age role expectations. She also is the one who found the evidence that all was not well in Pleasantville when she found the graves after crashing during the pursuit of the airplane.
Chris
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Couple thoughts (at least with how far I got on the way to work)...
For Fury, they did it again. They made it worse when they commented on "Amazon strength", confirming that all of the Amazons are superstrong. And they're warriors, trained for thousands of years. So how the hell is Hippolyta kicked around so easily? She's not exactly living up to that strong woman vibe that the Amazons are supposed to have. Last time, she got hauled down to the basement and chained by Felix Faust?!? Him? Manhandling Hippolyta? This time, Sakuri takes her out with a single blow. Oy. (Actually, I just saw a JLU reunion - the second episode of "Castle" had Nathan Fillion (Vigilante), Susan Sullivan (Hippolyta) as his mother, and George Newburn as a suspect.)
For Legends, the alternate dimension explanation certainly should sound reasonable - it's been canon at DC since 1961 (Flash 123, Flash of 2 Worlds). The frustrating thing was that given that it's lifted straight from Flash comics, GL is the one who gets them home.
Being anime-illiterate, I actually thought that Luthor's robot looked like a large scale Ultron, from the Avengers. (They had a 13 episode series about 1999 - maybe that's in continuity, too.)
Tom Turbine seemed like he had a certain amount of Mr. Terrific in his makeup as well - and he definitely had that CC Beck look to him.
All of the Music Meister slips were made more entertaining considering that Ray was voiced by Neil Patrick Harris - his first comic book role.
Mike, to answer your question about Black Canary, in the 1940s, she not only didn't have her canary cry, her name wasn't Lance. Dinah Drake used hand to hand combat. In fishnets. She didn't get the canary cry until she left Earth-2 and crossed to Earth-1 in 1969. Later, they retconned things. Dinah Drake was the original Black Canary. She retired and married Larry Lance. Their daughter Dinah Lance had DC's metagene and developed the canary cry, then took on her mother's old identity. She's the one who was retconned into a founding member of the JLA, had a relationship with Green Arrow, etc.
As I understand, there were concerns about using the JSA - I'm not sure how much of it were that they weren't real, and how much of it was the period accurate to currently questionable things like cookies and "a credit to your people". There is actually a 10 second trailer featuring the Flash running backwards in time until he morphs into Jay Garrick standing with Black Canary, Alan Scott, Wildcat, and Al Pratt's Atom. Amazingly, someone actually posted this on Youtube (Mike, I think we need a special "I'm being sarcastic" font for comments like that last.)
Chris
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I remember that at the time of its release, when I was [CENSORED SO AS TO NOT MAKE PEOPLE FEEL OLD], I thought that The Brave and the Bold was the best episode of JL yet.
You, sir, are a true gentleman.
Bats and Diana do more flirting in "Maid Of Honor" and "Starcrossed".
I agree with James, Grodd was such a great villain in JL. It made it all the more disappointing to hear him as Lex Luthor in "Brainiac Attacks" - if he'd just played Lex as Grodd, it would have been much improved.
Flash not catching up to the van is mirrored in Part 2 by GL not catching up to the missiles, I guess.
Solovar was played by David Ogden Stiers from "MASH", who also played the first live-action Martian Manhunter.
During Geoff Johns' run on the Flash, it was explicity stated that Central City (Barry's turf) is in Missouri, while its sister city Keystone (Jay Garrick & Wally's preferred location) is in Kansas, making them the analogue of the Kansas City area. I believe Jay was born in Keystone, while Barry was born in Iowa and Walley in Blue Valley, Nebraska. Granted, this is the comics; the DCAU never identified it's location, although I remember some scenes in "Flash & Substance" that reminded my of downtown KC (the one time I was there). Hey, if "Smallville" is right, and Metropolis is in Kansas, maybe that explains the Metropolis PD in Central City.
Chris
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As to the discussion about 8 months, remember, that's not since the end of Secret Origins. That's since early in Part 2, when Diana leaves the island. We had discussed that the final scene in the Watchtower likely happened weeks or months after the invasion, giving time to make the final modifications on the satellite Wayne was probably already building for his deep space monitoring project.
That's what I meant. In fact, didn't I say the timeline was "bullshit" because it had to have taken longer than eight months to have built the Watchtower?
I'm a bit confused now on who's taking which viewpoint (it's still early here, and I haven't had enough coffee yet). Here's how I see it:
X-z: Coffee discovered. Civilization develops.
X-y (where y is the time needed to build a satellite): At some point Wayne Industries begins major construction on a monitoring satellite.
Time X: An expedition to Mars unlocks the White Martians.
X + 2 years Batman discovers White Martians infiltrating his Earth-based monitoring station. Superman ignores this to disarm nukes on behalf of the most junior Senator, given that in 2 years he returned from Mars (not a short trip), ran for office, won, and was sworn in.
X + 2 years, six months: aliens invade. Chaos ensues. Diana leaves Themyscira. Watne industries makes a few last minute modifications to the satellite they've been building.
X + 2 years, 8 months: Watchtower christened. Official founding of the Justice League
X + 3 years, 2 months: Diana returns to Themyscira.
X + 80000000000000 years: Heat death of the universe. No more coffee.
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* When J'onn is impersonating Mongul and can't keep it up he reverts back to his humanoid shape. Shouldn't he turn back to his original Martian shape?
Y'know, I could swear that J'onn reverts to his "Earth Hero" form when attacked more than once. Eventually I just assumed that he made his hero form into his default form somehow.
I'm not an expert on J'onn, so please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe at one point in the comics, the spindly, more alien form was his private form, just for family. The more hybrid Earth/Mars form was the public form worn around other Martians. This could explain that if it weren't for the fact that we see the invaders attacking the more Martian form. Maybe they just landed at the "Sm'th Family Reunion" picnic.
A couple problems I had with part one of Paradise Lost: first, Mike mentioned that hurricanes take a while to build up. They were too accurate in the opening. There's this huge hurricane (about 2 minutes and 40 seconds) to see Diana save a girl, her mother's relieved, Diana's homesick. They could have done that in 60 seconds. The rest of that hurricane just seems like filler.
As to the discussion about 8 months, remember, that's not since the end of Secret Origins. That's since early in Part 2, when Diana leaves the island. We had discussed that the final scene in the Watchtower likely happened weeks or months after the invasion, giving time to make the final modifications on the satellite Wayne was probably already building for his deep space monitoring project.
Having just listened to your Wonder Woman review, and having read a lot of Greek Myths, it is a little frustrating to have Hades portrayed as a demonic villain. He is the god of the underworld. He's probably not the most fun at parties. He is not, however, evil or malicious (well, any more than any of the other Greek gods, all of whom operate on about a 5 year old's level of maturity and self-restraint). If anything, he interferes much less with mortals than many of the other gods.
I also noticed that when Faust was firing energy balls, at one point Batman and J'onn watch one go past and turn to watch it hit. Nice focus, guys.
I was glad you said something about Faust vs the Amazons, Mike. Hippolyta was a challenge to Hercules - it was frustrating that Faust seemed to manhandle her without much difficulty.
Chris
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I was rewatching Paradise Lost - when the League first encounters Faust, Flash grabs the Gorgon talisman, dodges a bunch of energy balls, and charges at Faust - only to be tripped by a rock. Again. Anyways, just before Faust pulls up the rocks in his path, Flash is charging at the camera - with a room in the background, rather than the huge temple. There's a second or so of footage cut from "Speed Demons" (it's from when he jumps out of the hole Superman bored, and charges the Weather Wizard). Maybe they didn't like the original animation for Paradise Lost, or felt they needed to add a bit more in for flow.
I suppose it's a bit sad that I can tell exactly where a bit of Flash footage comes from...
Chris
I just heard a rumor that they were going to use Ra's Al Ghul on Justice League Unlimited but couldn't due to the fucking Bat-Embargo. Supposedly they would give a backstory to the Near Apocolypse 0f '09. And get this (James Deaux is going to shoot himself when he reads this) They were going to adapt Tower of Babel. Yup, TOWER OF FUCKING BABEL!!! It would be a follow up to the Doomsday Sanction where Batman's distrust of the League causes him to construct contingency plans for if they ever went rogue. Ra's Al Ghul was going to get ahold of them and put them into action. Batman would convince Talia to help him save the League and stop Ra's. Batman would leave the League, form the Outsiders, and team up with Cadmus. Bruce Timm has even stated the bat-embargo's restriction was a good thing, as they already did the voting-out thing with Hawkgirl, and they would have to make either Batman or the JLA look like the bad guy. Still, we could have RA'S FUCKING AL GHUL IN JUSTICE LEAGUE, and we didn't. 
Episode 74
in World's Finest Podcast
Posted
4 points (I only made it through Maid of Honor on the way to work).
1) Flash would not explode in space - and space isn't cold. It has no temperature. He would lose heat by radiation (giving off IR), but most of our heat loss is by conduction (heat moving directly into surrounding molecules - none of those in space) and convection (air currents taking heat - think windchill). Lack of oxygen will kill you hours before cold will. He would probably have lots of burst capillaries over his body. They also had him react correctly - his mouth was wide open, so air escapes through his mouth and nose rather than trying to force its way out. As to the example James gave of not being able to hold his breath as long as the scene - can most people hold their breath voluntarily for 90 seconds? No. Can you survive asphyxiation for 90 seconds? Happens all the time. You've got about 6 minutes before brain deat (brain being one of the most metabolically active organs, and therefore most sensitive to oxygen deprivation). The other thing that may happen is the bends - the pressure difference between sea level and vacuum is about the same as the difference between sea level and 33-35 feet below sea level. If you've been at that depth long enough, and suddenly ascend, you can get the bends. I would chalk up the lack of bends to Flash's metabolism healing him quickly. I hate to say it (and don't want this to be a repeat of the infamous black hole discussion), but I think this is a case of bad Hollywood science warping expectations. They actually got the science right.
2) I would suspect there's some residual sexism involved, but a king is always a monarch, while a queen may or may not be an actual ruler. That's why a king's wife is automatically a queen, because everyone know's he is the actual ruler. If a reigning queen marries, her husband may be a duke, prince, prince consort, but something other than a king, to clarify that the queen is the actual monarch.
3) As to the meteor that would destroy Paris only taking out the castle, the (admittedly thin) justification I can offer is that there aren't a lot of near earth objects that are city busters. Maybe Savage was going to send a number of rocks to wipe out Paris, but only got one off before the League interfered. Best I can come up with.
4)I agree that GL's "Military knows the risk" bit was over the top. Balancing the "make the hard decisions" argument is the fact that he was military. What happened to never leave a battle buddy? Soldiers (and, I would assume, Marines as well) are trained to watch out for each other. They don't want to negotiate with terrorists, but that doesn't mean they aren't going to do whatever they can to rescue their fellow soldiers.
Chris